Dear John

Twenty-three-year-old John Tyree grew up and lived in North Carolina all his life. His father was his only parent after his mother left shortly after John was born. His father worked at the postal service his entire life, which gave John a stable life, but money was tight, especially when all the extra money went to buying coins. His father loves collecting coins, and it was something that he and John did together for a while. The only picture of the two of them together was taken at a coin show. After work and dinner, John’s father would go to his den and look over the Greysheet and his coins. John didn’t mind the sacrifices they made for the coins. As he grew into his teenage years, John couldn’t be more different from his father. His father’s lack of spending on anything but coins and necessities angered John, who told his father that he never wanted to hear about coins again. His father never mentioned them again.

Things went from bad to worse. Deep in teenage rebellion, John began to drink and was found at a party with drugs and alcohol. He yelled at his father often and barely graduated, and even though his father had hoped he would go to college, he didn’t. He hung around Wilmington doing odd jobs and drinking at Leroy’s, a local bar. He had a few relationships, but nothing stuck. One day, after hearing from an old girlfriend and another night drinking Leroy’s, he decided he didn’t want to spend another pointless evening in his hometown. He went to the beach with a six-pack, and two Marines jogged by. Soon after, he enlisted in the Army. He never discussed his decision with his dad—he didn’t want to let him down since he knew that his father loved him and had taken care of him to the best of his abilities. After boot camp, he was stationed in Germany. He wrote his father letters, although he never mentioned coins.

John grew up in the Army, and the changes weren’t just physical; he was becoming a better man, living up to his responsibilities, and being there for someone other than himself. On this leave, John returns home feeling burnt out and looking forward to boredom. The conversation between him and his father quickly dwindles, and John decides to go surfing. While on the dock, he sees Savannah with a friend and two other guys. John watches as one of the boys accidentally pushes Savannah’s bag into the water, and John dives off the pier after the bag.

John retrieves the bag and meets the group. Grateful that he saved her bag, Savannah invites him back to their rental house for food. One of the boys, Randy, doesn’t seem too excited at her offer, and John knows he is jealous. John accepts, and they make their way to the house, which isn’t far from the beach. While they walk, the pair chat, with John explaining he is on leave from the Army and stationed in Germany and Savannah telling him that she is there to work for Habitat for Humanity, building houses—something has done every summer since she was 16. This time, they have brought along other college students from Chapel Hill. They chat about the Army and John’s father, and Savannah asks if he taught John to surf. He says no but offers to teach Savannah. While Savannah gets food for them, John meets Tim, Savannah’s longtime friend from home. He is kind and says that he looks out for Savannah like an older brother. The pair continues to discuss the Army and Savannah’s major, special education. Inspired by a boy from home who had autism and who saw so much growth by working with horses, she hopes to start a riding camp for autistic kids. John explains he needs to leave because his father is probably worried about him, and Savannah offers for Tim to take him home. She also takes him up on his offer to teach her surfing. When John gets home, he finds his father looking over the Greysheet in his den at home.

The pair meet up for surfing. Savannah is particularly good at it, and John tries not to stare. After surfing, Savannah invites John to church with her and Tim. He usually doesn’t attend, but he is excited to spend more time with Savannah and have something new to discuss with his dad. After lunch, the pair go back down to the water, and John tells Savannah about his father and his love for coins. She explains she would love to meet him because he sounds like he has a passion for life. John asks her on a proper date to a local seafood place.

During their date, they get to know each other more. John asks about her family, the farm where she grew up, and what she likes most about college. She explains that she struggled her first year at UNC, but she has grown a lot. John considers how differently his life would have been if he had Savannah’s parents—present and patient—but he doesn’t regret his life because it led to this moment with Savannah. The couple goes on a short walk by the house, and Savannah discusses overhearing that a couple had hooked up and explains that she never understood casual sex. Tired and needing to be ready for her first day on the job site, Savannah and John say goodbye. They don’t kiss but make plans to see each other later in the week. John leaves amazed that he is falling for someone he had only met the day before.

Since Savannah is working and had told him she couldn’t hang out at night since she is usually too tired the first day, John spends the day trying to surf, even though the waves are terrible. He cannot help but look down the beach at Savannah’s house. He goes to Leroy’s, his old watering hole, and sees one of his old friends; thankful that this is not his life anymore, he leaves and decides to make steaks for his father for dinner. John tries to make conversation with his father, explaining that Savannah wants to meet him and asking how he met John’s mother. His father is quiet, as usual, and cuts the conversation short. 

John borrows the car from his father and drives to Savannah’s house, suggesting the pair go dancing. Savannah instead suggests that they meet John’s father. John is hesitant but ultimately takes Savannah to meet him. She asks him about coins, and they spend 40 minutes in the den talking about coins. John can tell his father is happy. He had told his father he didn’t want to talk about coins, but instead of talking about something else, they just stopped conversing altogether. After the visit, John and Savannah decide to get cheeseburgers. 

While eating, Savannah says that she wishes that she had spent the last couple of days with him. John agrees. Both feel like they have known each other forever. While talking, dolphins appear in the waves. Not wanting to part, Savannah tells him she knows somewhere they should go and takes him to the house she has been building. When they arrive, it starts to rain. John grabs crates for them to sit on, and they are finally alone together.

Sitting in the unfinished house while it rains, Savannah asks if John’s father has always been the way John described. John says he has and asks why? She says she is just curious and changes the subject. Savannah asks John if he has ever been in love. He explains he thought he was but wasn’t. Savannah agrees and then says she thought she loved someone her first year of school, but he slipped something in her drink and tried to take advantage of her. Nothing went too far because people walked in, and she called Tim to pick her up. That is why she struggled her first couple of years at college. John doesn’t know what to say but promises to make her feel safe. She explains he already has, and that is why she is here. John admits that he loves her and that meeting her is the best thing that ever happened to him. She agrees and says it back, and they kiss for the first time.

The pair spend all their free time together for the next couple of days, both at Savannah’s house and John’s. John’s father cooks for them twice. The conversation is tough when they don’t talk about coins, but it flows when Savannah asks about coins. That weekend, John and Savannah sleep on the beach together, and John thinks he wants to wake up next to Savannah for the rest of his life. On Sunday, they attend church together. On Monday evening, John goes to Savannah’s house and finds her crying, sitting by the pier. Savannah explains that while looking for a book for John that day, she realized that he would be leaving soon, and it would all be over, and she would be a mess. John explains that it doesn’t have to be goodbye. He asks about the book she got, and she explains that it was written by one of her professors about autism and Asperger’s. John is confused, and Savannah explains that this may help him understand his father, who displays some of the symptoms of someone who has Asperger’s. Furious, John accuses Savannah of just using him to evaluate and diagnose his father. He walks away, and Savannah chases after him, but Randy steps in the way. John tells him to let go of him, or he will break his wrist. Trying to stop the fight, Tim grabs John from behind, and John elbows him in the face, breaking his nose. After being hit, Tim is sprawled on the floor, Savannah runs up in a panic, and John leaves, cursing himself as he drives home.

The following day, John watches his dad closely, considering if Savannah had right. After his father leaves for work, Tim shows up, his nose bandaged and his eyes swollen. He talks to John about what it may mean if Savannah is right since his brother, Alan, is autistic. Although he doesn’t think that it was Savannah’s place to diagnose him, it could help John find a way to communicate or understand his father. He leaves the book for John, who reads a bit of it and sees that his father does meet the criteria. The book explains how his father has set rules for the world he lives in. After reading the book, John understands his father better and speculates how his father’s behaviors may have led his mother to leave. Upon reflection, John sees him as a man who did his best to raise him. That night, he asks his father about his coins, and with a hand on his back, his father leads John to the den. John has never felt closer to him.

John meets Savannah on the pier the next night and apologizes for hurting Randy and Tim. Savannah apologizes because she shouldn’t have diagnosed him. John also thanks her because the book helped him understand his father. The next day, John and Savannah spend the day together since it is his last day before going back to Germany. John says that he is going to come back and marry her. He promises to call and write as much as possible, and Savannah promises to write, giving him a letter that she wrote to read on the plane. John leaves to spend the evening with his father, and he watches Savannah in the rearview mirror as he drives away. Dinner with his father is quiet, but he can tell that his dad is concerned. In the morning, his father takes John to the airport, and as they say goodbye, his father says that he likes Savannah. That is exactly what John wanted to hear. On the plane, John reads the letter from Savannah, in which she says how much she loves him. She tells him that when the moon is full—like the night they met—he should find the moon in the sky and think about what they shared and know that she will be doing the same. She says he better not break his promise to marry her and that she loves him and the time they spent together. And John, as he flies back to the other side of the world, wishes that he could fly back to Savannah, to where he is supposed to be.